EU Getting Another Year on Constitution
By ROBERT WIELAARD, Associated Press Writer
Sat May 27, 9:48 PM


Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik welcomes President of the ...
VIENNA, Austria - The European Union agreed Saturday to give itself another year to sort out the impasse over its troubled constitution and build confidence in the bloc's plans for further expansion.

EU leaders have spent the last 12 months in a self-imposed "period of reflection" after French and Dutch voters overwhelmingly rejected the constitution in referendums a year ago.

Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot said the EU envoys meeting in Vienna agreed that although Europeans remain positive about the grouping, "we need to extend the reflection period" by another year to settle doubts about the charter and the future of the bloc.

The constitution was designed to reorganize bloc's decision-making and raise its profile as a global player by establishing an EU president and foreign minister. But all 25 member states had to approve it for it to take effect.

Bot suggested a new EU treaty or constitution be in place by 2009. He reiterated, however, that the Dutch government would not put the charter to a popular referendum or a parliamentary vote.

Meeting at a 900-year-old Roman Catholic monastery, the ministers also discussed a proposal for a declaration restating the principles and values of an increasingly united Europe _ ideally in 2007 when the EU marks its 50th anniversary.

"Europe is a model all over the world and we should draw some self-confidence from that," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said before the talks, which conclude Sunday.

"We should take some time to get it right," said Geoff Hoon, Britain's secretary of state for Europe.

Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's foreign minister, said the leaders should set a timetable for reviving the constitution by 2009.

One task is to convince ordinary Europeans _ skittish about their jobs, crime rates and cultural identities in an age of globalization _ that closer integration and bringing in half a dozen or more states into the EU is a good thing.

Opinion surveys say Europeans generally support the EU and even the idea of a constitution but want the bloc to focus more on their day-to-day concerns such as unemployment, immigration and globalization.

A touchy point remains the EU's rapid enlargement, begun after the meltdown of communism in Europe in 1989.

In 2004, the EU absorbed Cyprus, Malta and eight East European nations. Romania and Bulgaria are to join next year, swelling the bloc to 27 countries.

Croatia and Turkey are negotiating entry and half a dozen Balkan states, plus Ukraine and Moldova, are knocking on the door. Austria, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, has proposed to lock the door for a while after Romania and Bulgaria join.

Several EU nations, notably the Netherlands and Germany, sensing public resistance to further expansion, want the EU to commit soon to final borders.

But EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has said shared values, not geography, is the unfinished business from the Cold War.